Bioreactor systems allow safe and reproducible production of tissue constructs and functional analysis of cell
behavior in biomaterials. However, current procedures for the analysis of tissue generated in biomaterials are
destructive. We describe a transparent perfusion system that allows real-time bioluminescence imaging of luciferase
expressing cells seeded in scaffolds for the study of cell–biomaterial interactions and bioreactor performance.
A prototype provided with a poly(lactic) acid sc...

Bioreactor systems allow safe and reproducible production of tissue constructs and functional analysis of cell
behavior in biomaterials. However, current procedures for the analysis of tissue generated in biomaterials are
destructive. We describe a transparent perfusion system that allows real-time bioluminescence imaging of luciferase
expressing cells seeded in scaffolds for the study of cell–biomaterial interactions and bioreactor performance.
A prototype provided with a poly(lactic) acid scaffold was used for ‘‘proof of principle’’ studies to monitor cell
survival in the scaffold (up to 22 days). Moreover, using cells expressing a luciferase reporter under the control of
inducible tissue-specific promoters, it was possible to monitor changes in gene expression resulting from hypoxic
state and endothelial cell differentiation. This system should be useful in numerous tissue engineering applications,
the optimization of bioreactor operation conditions, and the analysis of cell behavior in three-dimensional scaffolds.